Flipped classroom in ESP teaching and learning: An Activity Theory perspective

Abstract

  Flipped classroom as an instructional approach has gained increasing attention in English language teaching and learning, including English for Specific Purposes (ESP). This article examined a cohort of Chinese university students’ experiences of learning News English (an ESP-oriented course) through pre-class micro-lesson videos as part of flipped classroom. The data included task sheets accompanying the micro-lesson videos prepared by the teachers as well as interviews with the students about their learning experiences, think-aloud sessions and learning diaries. Adopting an Activity Theory perspective, we were able to identify notable differences between the teacher-designed pre-class activity system and the activity system actually experienced by the students. The study also demonstrated the complicating effect of students’ critical thinking disposition on the dynamics of their micro-lesson learning. The findings are discussed in relation to ESP teacher development, in particular regarding the development of technological pedagogical content knowledge for effective design and delivery of flipped classroom.